Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. |Kofi Annan|

Twenty years ago, collaborating with people in real-time over the internet seemed difficult to understand. Now we do it every day with the click of a button. Google Docs is a powerful tool that makes working with people both near and far a breeze, but do you know how to use it to its full capacity? Go beyond just sharing docs and leaving comments with these 24 Google Doc hacks and add-ons.

Excited to save some time? With these hacks you no longer have to manually go through a document and look for duplicates or change the capitalization structure letter by letter. Though these may just seem like minor details, they will make a major difference in productivity!

To keep your files neat and organized on your computer, you can go the extra step and download Google Drive for Mac. This will save and sync your files on both your hard drive and in the cloud, so you have a backup.

You can also download the Google Doc phone application to easily view documents when you’re on the go. If you’re worried about losing internet connection and have to do a last minute edit, you can set particular documents to be available offline. Just click the three dots next to the document’s title and choose “Available offline”. These documents are automatically put in an “Offline” folder.

Staying organized is the key to managing your workload and optimizing your time, and these easy, actionable tips are sure to help you do just that.

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It’s not just your professional life that suffers due to information overload. 59% of Americans say that they check their emails outside of office hours.

So what’s wrong with that?

Constant connection comes with a price. Even if you stay on top of your inbox, studies have found that constantly checking your email can lead to burnout, health issues, and personal problems. A work/life balance is essential to staying healthy — both physically and mentally. It’s a no-brainer that burnt-out, sick, and unhappy employees aren’t going to be at their best when it really matters.

While you might not be able to cut down the volume of emails that you receive from colleagues and clients, you can use a variety of tools, tips, and tricks to help you make your inbox more manageable.

One of the reasons why Gmail is preferred by individuals and corporations alike is due to Google’s attention to detail when it comes to features and functionalities. Many of these tips and techniques will require you to spend some time tinkering around with your settings. But once you’ve mastered some of these shortcuts and helpful hacks, you’ll save yourself from hours of wasted time.

Below is the visual to learn the tricks.

By optimising your email account to work for you instead of against you, you can boost your productivity levels, get more work done, and reduce the risk of allowing an important email to slip through the cracks.

Do you have any preferred methods for keeping your inbox manageable and tidy? Share them in the comment section below!

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Innovations in technology continue to make our lives easier every day.

But in some instances, what we gain in convenience with technology can be outweighed by what we lose in other areas. One such area is handwriting.

While typing on a laptop or mobile device might be convenient, research shows that we lose a lot by not taking notes by hand. Studies have shown writing notes out by hand improves critical thinking, comprehension, and focus.

GetVoIP has put together an infographic that explains these and other benefits and offers proven note-taking methods. Check out the graphic below to learn more.

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The Earth began over 4.5 billion years ago; however, according to scientists, the future of this planet may only last another thousand years due to the constant environmental abuse by human activity.

Fortunately, as we move further into this technological era, the rise of environmental entrepreneurs and green technologies makes a sustainable future possible. With over 6 million apps available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, Greenmatch has gathered the Top 5 Free Green Apps to help you start saving the Earth. Find the infographic below and additional information below the infographic.

1. Too Good To Go – Apple Play Store & Google Play Store

Too Good To Go is a trending food app that brings awareness of food waste by offering deals from restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and other stores before they throw away their food.

2. Joulebug – Apple Play Store & Google Play Store

Joulebug is the popular eco-lifestyle app that encourages users to practice sustainable habits, complete tips for points to Buzz on social media, and challenging friends to do better.

3. BlaBlaCar – Apple Play Store & Google Play Store

BlaBlaCar is the leading car ride sharing app that connects drivers to people who are travelling the same way. By sharing a ride through BlaBlaCar, you can help reduce CO2 emissions and its detrimental impact on the environment.

4. #Climate – Apple Play Store

#Climate is a resourceful eco-awareness app that updates people about ongoing environmental actions, issues, and resolutions from leading environmental organisations. You can help spread the awareness by sharing these newfound articles to your friends via Social Media like Facebook and Twitter.

5. Energy Consumption Analyzer – Google Play Store

Energy Consumption Analyzer is a home energy tracker app that allows you to record and assess your utility meters usage. Through the visual tables and graphs, you can detect peak periods and create changes to reduce your usage waste.

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Do you ever feel like the stress at work is getting to you, and you need to take a breather?

I believe this infographic can help you understand how to handle stress because stress is something most people deal with on a regular basis. And not everyone knows how to cope with it, especially at work. Please, find below the infographic:

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If you want to become more productive at work and in your life, there are many things you may not have considered. There are two main barriers to your success; your mindset and your ability to work efficiently. Follow these tips, collected from productivity, wellbeing and business experts, and you could transform your work and your business…

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Unstructured data is data, which is stored in a format that may present a challenge for auditing operations. Structured data usually comes in the form of a database, whereas unstructured data includes Word documents, PDFs, photos, videos etc. It’s often the case where such data is stored in a shared location. In order to prevent information leaks, it is critical to ensure that such data, along with those who have access to that data, can be identified quickly and effectively.

There are times when a company narrowly loses a bid to a competitor – who appear to be offering a strikingly similar product. Or times when a company’s trade secrets are patented by a competitor. Coincidence or not, information tends to leak. And data leaks in a variety of forms; from product designs to customer information – including credit-card details. Likewise, it’s sometimes the case where leaked information is used to damage the reputation of a company. There have even been cases where such information is used for bribery and extortion. Of course, data is not always leaked due to malicious intent; regardless, it’s not surprising that companies feel unnerved about having unstructured data scattered about their system.

Securing unstructured data, however, is not an easy task. Naturally, the first steps in securing unstructured data is to identify which company assets are the most sensitive at a given point in time. For example, once a proposal has been made, the information is less sensitive than it was before the proposal was made. By associating a time frame with a specific piece of information, policies can be temporarily put in place to secure this information. Likewise, it’s also very important to identify which employees have access to such data, and you may want to design a specific training program for the staff members involved.

It may also be worth examining any potential conflicts-of-interest associated with your employees, especially if they will be given access to critical data. Do they have any friends or relatives who are associated with any of your competitors? Are they an ex-employee of a competitor? Are they linked to any previous suspicious activities within the company? It may be wise to identify the devices associated with the employees who have access to the critical data and encrypt communication channels between those devices. And maybe think about using DLP (Data in motion) monitoring for information that traverses between suspected employees.

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I’ve traveled solo while working full-time for ten-plus months, across more than 15 countries. It’s one of the most fun and rewarding things I’ve ever done. My work breaks over the past year have included things like scuba diving in Belize, polo lessons in Buenos Aires, music festivals in Hungary, and more.

Working full-time while on the road is not easy, but it’s definitely a skill that can be mastered over time.

For those interested in the nuts and bolts of how to travel while working, there are already several great articles out there explaining how it’s done. If you’re not familiar, I recommend starting with Toptal COO Breanden Beneschott’s guide.

In terms of logistics and planning, pulling off a full-time work schedule while on the road is much easier and cheaper than you probably think (at least in my experience), and the infrastructure for doing so continues to grow rapidly.

However, the following problem is far more difficult to solve, especially when traveling solo: Can you fully enjoy your travels while not sacrificing the quality of your work?

Striking The Right Balance

Can you navigate travel logistics, work full-time, and take care of yourself physically and mentally, all while setting aside enough time to explore the places you’re visiting, find fun things to do, and meet new people?

Since you won’t have much of a support system when you’re alone in a foreign country and (usually) don’t speak the language, finding the right balance is critical. Your routine has to be sustainable in the long run, and if you aren’t careful, things can go downhill in a hurry.

As I’ve been traveling, I’ve gotten a lot of questions from friends and colleagues about the psychology of this lifestyle, including everything from how to avoid loneliness to how to maximize productivity.

It’s not for everyone, but this lifestyle can be both incredibly fun and extremely productive, provided you figure out how to do it in a way that works for you. As I’ve traveled, I’ve noticed some key habits, mindsets, and tricks that are important for anyone who is considering working and traveling to keep in mind, regardless of their occupation or interests.

This post covers some of the most important strategies I’ve picked up while on the road.

Go To X To Do Y

When you have the option of living anywhere, it can be difficult to choose a destination, and going to places to see/do touristy things can get old fast. I’m a big fan of going to places to do specific (non-touristy) activities, as opposed to just going to places that sound interesting on paper.

Working full-time and traveling the world might be easier than you think, especially when you’re traveling for a purpose.

I’ve found that having a purpose to your travels leads to a few great outcomes:

It’s a lot easier to structure your time and priorities.

It’s easier to meet fascinating people with shared interests.

You learn amazing new skills that you’ve always wanted to learn.

When you’re traveling solo and devoting a lot of time to work, it’s important to limit the extent to which you’re “re-solving” the same problems on a daily basis. What I mean by that is, you don’t want to find yourself waking up every morning without any plans for where you’re going to work, what you’re going to work on, where you’re going to eat, who you’re going to meet, what non-work things you’re going to do, and so on.

Not only is it easy to waste a lot of time and energy answering the same questions over and over again, but it will also quickly make you feel like you’re swimming in circles without accomplishing much.

To be clear, I am just as strongly against doing anything that’s “too organized” while traveling. I’m pretty averse to resorts, guided tours, and so on.

As a good friend of mine likes to say:

“I always love seeing big cruise ships. The more I see of them, the fewer people there will be wherever I am.”

The adventure and uncertainty of traveling is half the fun, and it’s important not to lose sight of that by planning too much.

In short, don’t just go to Thailand. Go to Thailand to motorbike from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Go to Brazil because you’ve always wanted to experience Carnival. Go to Nepal because you dream of hiking the Annapurna trail.

The possibilities are endless, and it’s when you go somewhere with a goal in mind that things begin to take off.

Set Aside Time Every Day For Learning

When you’re working at a startup, there are always a million different tasks that need to be accomplished, and you’re constantly in a race against time. You can easily spend all of your waking hours knocking things off of your to-do list, and with so much that needs to get done, it can be hard to justify investing time in anything that’s not the task at hand, or at least directly related to the task.

Being on the road is no excuse for complacency. You can work, play, and master new skills, just as you would from home.

However, taking time each day for the explicit purpose of improving your skills and learning new things has a profound and positive impact in several important ways: Continue reading →

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In your workplace, there is always someone you are influencing indirectly either in a way that is good or the other way. So therefore, leaders of organisations pay attention to their employees more than ever before. Leaders mentor their followers passionately and constantly, work towards creating a happier workplace for employees to carry out their duties every single day. This act can be seen as one of the ways to boost the morale of employees’ positively in order to affect the ROI aside other organisational goals.

As leaders of organisations, our focus should be about how to empower, how to maximise employee’s potentials and also, to make their lives easier by equipping them with the right information needed day in day out. If and when we can practise these little things religiously, then we can be rest assured of achieving our desired organisational mission, vision and growth. Below are 9 ultimate tips to help employees’ increase their productivity at work.